Improvement in reefing- sails



Ween g ww- HENRY R. ATWOOI), OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS.

'Leners Patent No. 86,051, am@ Jawa/'y 19,1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN REEFING- SAILS.

The Schedule referred to n these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all persons to whom these presents lmay come:

and mainsail of a schooner, a's provided with my invenl tion.

Figure 2 is a transverse section of the gah', its rail,

'and one of the travellers thereof, tobe hereinafter described.

In such drawings- A denotes the mast;

B, the boom;

O, the gaff; and

D, the mainsail.

In carrying outvmy improvement, .I forni` the sail with its outer edge, a d, equal or about equal in length' to the diagonal b d, along -which I secure a` strengthening-stay or rope, e.' Y

To the under side of the gaff'I aix a rail, f, like an H or T-rail of a railway.

This railsupports a series of travellers, 'g g g, each being very like in form the traveller of a ring-spinning frame. They are secured, at equal distances apart, to the head of the sail.

The sailisto be applied tothe mast and boom in the ordinary manner, and the gah" and boom are to be `furnished withthe usual ropes and appliances for operating them. l

In further A carrying out myinvention, I combine, with the outer leach of the sail, one or more ropes, h ti., for reeng the triangular part' a b d, by drawing the cuter leach, a d, up tothe diagonal, b d.

The upper of the said ropes, fastened to the upper corner of the sail, is carried through the series of travellers g g g, and thence down to the deck.

Thenext of said ropes is fastened to the outer leach. From thence. it rnnsparallel to the head of tl1e sail, to an eye or ring, o", iixed to thc stay-rope e, thence down along the stay-rope to and through a ring at the lower outer corner of the sail.

There may be any suitable number of such ropes 'i applied tothe sail in like manner.

I also :apply to 4,the said sail, on the head thereof, and the gaff, a rope, k, for. drawing the leach-rope a d awayi'rmn the diagonal b d, so as to unreef the part a b d.' This rope k is led up through the gaf', and thence to and through guide or block, l, aiixed to the mast, and thence down to the deck.

I am aware that the triangular part a, b d has been neefed bydropping the gan" down into a verticalposi tion, or against the mast, so as to carry to the leeward of the rest of the sail, the part to.be reefed, ,and that for the'purpose ofV supporting the remainder of the sail, a rope has been aiixed .to anddiagonally across the sail. I therefore make no claim thereto.

' I claim the combination and arrangement of the rail and travellers with the gai and the sail, and lines or devices for reeing and unreefing the outer triangle or part a b d of the sail, in manner substantially as set forth; that is, by drawing the outer leach up to the ldiagonal rope, or away therefrom, as specified, the said leach having a length to correspond with that of such diagonal; the whole being substantially as explained.

Witnesses: 

